Las Vegas ? With a $30,000 bonus tucked inside his pocket, Jimmie Johnson headed to the casino to celebrate his latest victory.

If he can run the tables the same way he’s running the Nextel Cup series, he might just break the bank.

Johnson ended the Roush Racing stranglehold at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, spoiling what could have been a banner day for hometown boys Kurt and Kyle Busch by beating them both to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

Johnson, who won for the 15th time in his career, has victories in five of the last nine races, dating to last season. He hasn’t finished worse than sixth since October, and this victory put him right back where he spent most of last season — on top of the points standings.

Johnson won a series-high eight races last season, only to fall eight points shy of winning the title. But he has come charging out of the gate this year, with a fifth-place finish in the season-opening event at Daytona and a runner-up finish in California.

This latest victory helped Hendrick Motorsports claim a piece of the track in the desert that Roush Racing has dominated with five victories in the first seven races.

But with Johnson and Hendrick teammates Kyle Busch finishing second and Jeff Gordon fourth, the Roush dominance is over. Kurt Busch carried the Roush flag with a third-place finish.

After the race, NASCAR said the roof of Johnson’s Chevrolet was too low in post-race inspection, and Kyle Busch, who finished second, had a car that came in too high on the rear quarter panel.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in an official slump after wrecking early in the race. He was awful two weeks ago in California, where his car had three flat tires and he finished 32nd.

Earnhardt ended up 42nd — his worst finish in at least two seasons.